Nine right-wing organisations including think tanks pushing disinformation about climate change have been accused of mounting a coordinated campaign to push for a hard Brexit, according to court documents.

Whistleblower Shahmir Sanni, formerly of youth campaign group BeLeave, claims that think tanks and campaign groups held regular meeting at 55 Tufton Street — an office close to Westminster and home to the climate science denial group the Global Warming Policy Foundation — to “agree on a single set of right-wing talking points” and “securing more exposure to the public”.

Some of the topics discussed allegedly included “new policy announcement by the Labour Party, developments in the Brexit negotiations, or any other political news story”.

Responding to the suit, the Taxpayers’ Alliance told the Guardian that it “acted at all times in a fair and correct manner and we reject (and will be defending) the claims Mr Sanni has made”. The group declined to comment further because of the ongoing legal proceedings.

Revolving Doors

Sanni’s claim also emphasised how the organisations based around 55 Tufton Street had revolving doors between the groups for employees.

Matthew Elliott, the former head of the Vote Leave campaign group, which was based at 55 Tufton Street, is also the co-founder and former CEO of the TaxPayers’ Alliance and now works as the editor-at-large of Brexit Central, both organisations which work out of 55 Tufton Street.

Sanni’s claim states that although he was employed with the TaxPayers’ Alliance, he had initially applied for a job with Brexit Central for the role of deputy editor. While Elliott and Brexit Central editor Jonathan Isaby interviewed Sanni, he was offered a role with the TaxPayers’ Alliance for which, at the time, neither Elliott nor Isaby were officially working.

A number of staff from the Vote Leave campaign have also gone on to work for the TaxPayers’ Alliance, including former development director of Vote Leave, John O’Connell, now CEO of the TaxPayers’ Alliance. Chloe Westley a senior team member of Vote Leave is now the group’s campaign manager and Vote Leave’s regional director for Yorkshire and the Humber Tom Banks, shorlty worked for the group's grassroots campaign.

Climate science deniers

Included in this network of organisations pushing for a hard Brexit is the UK’s premier climate science denial campaign group, the Global Warming Policy Foundation (GWPF).

Lilley is a supporter of the European Research Group (ERG). Led by Jacob Rees-Mogg, the ERG is lobbying for a hard Brexit and has been described by Buzzfeed as “an aggressive, disciplined, and highly organised parliamentary and media operation”. Former Brexit minister, Steve Baker, is a past chair of the group.

Following the vote, leading pro-EU Tory Anna Soubry warned May that she was “no longer in charge” and that Rees-Mogg and the ERG were “running the country”.

Some of the group’s most influential supporters include prominent members of May’s cabinet.

Newly appointed Brexit minister Dominic Raab and environment secretary Michael Gove were active supporters of the group before being promoted to cabinet roles while international trade secretary Liam Fox has also used the ERG to gather support among MPs.

Tory MP John Redwood, former environment secretary Owen Paterson and new peer Peter Lilley are also members of the ERG and notable climate science deniers.

Cabinet ministers

The influence of the 55 Tufton Street network reaches all the way into May’s cabinet.

Environmental secretary Gove also has strong ties to the Tufton Street hub through his involvement with the Vote Leave campaign and think tank the New Culture Forum, while International Trade Secretary Liam Fox has been a strong supporter of Grassroot Outs, a pro-Brexit campaign group that sprung out of infighting between Vote Leave and Nigel Farage and Arron Banks’ Leave.EU.

Grassroots Out was also supported by DUPMP and climate science denier, Sammy Wilson. The Conservatives and DUP signed a ‘supply and confidence’ pact to provide Theresa May’s government with additional votes on key issues.

"Fossil-fuel companies have spent millions funding anti-global-warming think tanks, purposely creating a climate of doubt around the science. DeSmogBlog is the antidote to that obfuscation." ~ BRYAN WALSH, TIME MAGAZINE